WHO Regional Office for Europe

🏥WHO/Europe’s new primer helps governments to navigate the risks and opportunities of purchasing health services from private providers while protecting quality, equity and financial protection. 🔗bit.ly/rpphc

As governments seek to improve affordable access to health care, many turn to private providers to expand services, drive innovation and increase efficiency. But how can they manage the associated risks without compromising equity, quality, and cost control? A new report from the #WHOBarcelona Office for Health Systems Financing explores this critical balance. 📘 “Purchasing health care from the private sector: a primer for middle-income countries in the WHO European Region” provides practical guidance for engaging private providers while maintaining strong public oversight. 🔍 Learn how clear regulations, strategic purchasing and public accountability can help governments improve health outcomes and stay in the driver’s seat. 📖 Read more: https://bit.ly/4jhBDdH 📩Download the publication: https://bit.ly/4luBdlz Mark Hellowell Triin Habicht

📢 Last week, WHO/Europe and UNICEF ECARO hosted a consultation with non-State actors and collaborating centres on the forthcoming Child and Adolescent Health Strategy for the WHO European Region.   The goal? To strengthen how we promote, implement and advocate for the strategy with the wide range of partners and stakeholders that play a key role in health and wellbeing across the Region.   This engagement builds on WHO/Europe’s new NSA Engagement Plan, launched in 2024 to foster more inclusive, transparent and sustained partnerships. Learn more🔗 https://bit.ly/4lzWsm9 We are grateful for the insights and advocacy of NSAs, essential partners in turning strategy into action.   #CAHstrategy2025 #PartnershipsForHealth #ChildHealth #AdolescentHealth #CivilSociety #WHOEurope UNICEF Europe & Central Asia World Federation of Hemophilia / Fédération mondiale de l'hémophilie World Heart Federation European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA) EuroHealthNet ISPRM International Association for the Study of Pain Institute of Public Health of Serbia

At the Baltic Health Policy Dialogue in Tallinn, policy-makers and partners came together to explore how to advance primary care and social care integration. Key takeaways included: 🔹The transformative potential of integrated health and social care data for improved needs stratification 🔹The ongoing shift toward multidisciplinary PHC teams with an increasingly holistic approach to care 🔹 The vital role of family medicine and nursing as the bedrock of effective PHC teams 🔹The importance of building trust and enabling long-term culture change within and across systems 🔹The urgent need to strengthen leadership capacity across all levels – from frontline teams to system stewards It’s about more than innovation. It’s about ensuring people get the right care, at the right time, from the right provider or team. #PHC4UHC Natasha Azzopardi Muscat Melitta Jakab Giada Scarpetti José Cerezo Cerezo Arnoldas Jurgutis Dr Toni Dedeu Anna Sagan Ewout van Ginneken   Sotsiaalministeerium / Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Hosam Abu Meri 

𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. Sexual violence is a serious public health issue that impacts individuals, families, and entire communities. Addressing it requires strong, sustained, and coordinated action across borders. The collaboration between the two countries is taking shape through the RONOR project, which supports the strengthening of Romania’s network of sexual violence intervention centres integrating Norway’s expertise. WHO Regional Office for Europe and our country office in Romania have provided support to these centres as part of this project. Learn more about the project here 👉 https://bit.ly/3G81WUQ This cause is also close to my heart. I have launched a special initiative to tackle violence against women and girls, under the second European Programme of Work (EPW2), which we are co-creating together with all WHO/Europe Member States. Through this initiative, we are working to strengthen the capacity of health systems to prevent, detect, and respond to gender-based violence, while centring the voices and rights of survivors. Let us continue working together to build a Europe where every woman and girl can live free from violence - with dignity, safety, and support. #HealthForAll Agenția Națională pentru Egalitatea de Șanse între Femei și Bărbați - ANES | Permanent Mission of Norway in Geneva | Petter Ølberg | Mission of Norway to the EU | Cathrine M. Lofthus | Cornel Feruta | Caroline Clarinval PhD MPH LLM

Diseases don't have borders 🌎 Neither should disease prevention. That's why last week's four-day learning-exchange visit brought together learning and development teams from Africa CDC, ECDC, the World Health Organization African Region and the #WHOAcademy in Lyon, France to share their knowledge, address emerging threats and work towards supporting a stronger health and care workforce. The visit took place at the newly opened WHO Academy campus—a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to transforming public health learning and training—and forms part of the broader "Africa CDC–ECDC Partnership” project. Since January 2021, the project has supported Africa's public health workforce development strategy in building capacities for health preparedness, disease surveillance, and response. 🎯 Objectives: ✔️ Drive innovation in learning and training development and delivery. ✔️ Learn from WHO Lyon's experiences in opening their purpose-built training campus. ✔️ Foster stronger relationships among global health leaders. 🔑 Key Focus Areas: - Joint training projects - Curriculum development and innovative learning - Development roadmaps - Cultivating collaboration Innovating together for #HealthForAll 🌟

🎗️ “I had no idea that even a few glasses of wine a week could increase my risk of breast cancer.” This powerful statement comes from Mia, a social worker recently diagnosed with incurable breast cancer. Like many people across Europe, she wasn't aware of the link between alcohol and cancer. It wasn’t until her diagnosis that she learned alcohol can damage DNA, affect hormone levels, and increase the risk of cancer—even at low levels of consumption. 👉 Research shows that even 1–2 glasses of alcohol per day increase the risk of developing breast cancer. But less than 1 in 4 women across 14 European countries are aware of this link. Mia's story is at the heart of the #RedefineAlcohol campaign — a call for reflection and the right to know what's in our bottle. She is not asking people to stop drinking entirely. She's asking for access to facts, so individuals can make informed choices. 📢 Watch Mia’s story and learn why greater public knowledge is critical. #RedefineAlcohol #LessAlcohol #EVIDAction

💙Our health partners are key actors in advancing health equity for refugees and migrants! Last week, WHO Romania and WHO Health and Migration held a training on Global Competency Standards for refugee and migrant health, strengthening the capacity of Romania’s health workers and mediators to deliver culturally competent, inclusive, and high-quality care to refugees from Ukraine 🇺🇦🤝 Health partners play a crucial role in ensuring access to essential services for refugees and other displaced populations. By embedding core competencies, we are building collaboratively sensitive and inclusive health systems that respond to the needs of people on the move, and improve health outcomes for all. The training was facilitated by World Health Organization Health and Migration HQ team and is part of the joint project by WHO Regional Office for Europe, IOM Europe and Central Asia and EU Health and Food Safety aimed improving the access to health-care services for refugees and displaced people from Ukraine. 🌍💪 Let’s continue bridging gaps, fostering collaboration, and shaping health systems that truly leave no one behind. 🔗 For more info on our joint project, visit: bit.ly/WHO-IOM-EU 🔗 For more info on the global competency standards WHO refugee and migrant health: Global Competency Standards for health workers, visit: bit.ly/4deBxj5

Policy makers need clear evidence and they want to show impact. The NCD quick buys include 25 interventions that are proven, affordable, and deliver impact within 5 years. Prof Martin McKee hopes that these tools will help health authorities to take action to reduce #NCDs - the biggest health threat in the WHO European Region. 🔗 Learn more about the NCD quick buys here: Full video launch event: https://bit.ly/4kU82bz Press release: https://bit.ly/4casNM8 Quick buys in focus: The Lancet https://bit.ly/4hN8aqA

World Health Organization Member States have finally reached consensus on a proposal for a #PandemicAgreement that brings countries together to prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics. Developed by countries, for countries, this landmark agreement is a testament to the power of multilateralism and unity. The #COVID19 pandemic took a dramatic toll on every aspect of our lives. And there are constant reminders of how pathogens can impact the lives of millions: Ebola, Marburg, measles, mpox, influenza, and the threat of the next #DiseaseX – clear signs that risks to health are real. Together with the International Health Regulations (2005), the Pandemic Agreement will form the backbone of a stronger, more coordinated global health architecture, working to ensure that no one is left behind when the next health emergency hits. We call on @WHO_Europe countries – and indeed all WHO Member States - to support the adoption of the Agreement at the World Health Assembly in May, and move swiftly forward with ratification and implementation. Our world will be the safer for it. Let’s not miss this opportunity to protect current and future generations - and deliver on the promise of #HealthForAll. #PandemicAccord